Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-08-23
TOBACCO ACREAGE.
GRIEVANCES OF SOUTHERN AND
WESTERN ToBAcco. MKS.
Accuracy Of the Report OF stGtistieian
Dodge Questioned The Matter Dis
oussod Before the Commits.
sioner Of Agriculture

Ills ltif moon anu i2lt DNAN!i' hA"' iH'it
grievances i'm connection with the re
cen: report OF Stji-tician J. Il. Dodge
uvon The ucrtacc OF tobacco planted
tins wear. by which It is claimed that
Tie tobacco interest suffered gr.cyOus
loss. tN'onGIa sman Willis, OF Louis-
Vile. addressed tAc Commissioner, set
tiug forth ia general terms tae claimed
iuaCcuAl s. oitlr report, consisting IN
an al.,D,d erroneous Oycrcstlmaie OF
acreage.
Commissioner Colmanrcplic1, warm
" Wloci2mg the statistician, de
fcriiug the great weight given to hrs
publications hy reason Of their uniform
accuracy duEug course OF twenty
wears connection Hiththe work, and Re-
pudiaiingmo,. oanesilyaud vigorously
ANY suspicion that improper influences
ool,d attach o. hin. A mistake might
have been uai" IN an instance. If 50
an investigation would develop the
fact. but should there prove to have
been one lc fc,t convinced it would be
found to uc of TIE head alone.
Mr. Horny Glover, of Louisville,
chairman a. thc committee, briefly set
forth fho grounds oi The knowledge OF
the committee and of toolcc0-ncn
generally that the report OF the de-
uartm,ut stated the acreage enormously
IN excess o.. facts. and asked 10 be al
lowed 10 know what grounds the sta
tistician bad .or his estimates. If any.
lie asked tha. Mr. Dodge be present
duung further discussion of tne mat
ter. and that the returns of the de-
pertinent in this regard he Submitted
10 the Commissioner.
TO these rCuucstS the Commissioner
acccdcd. Mr Dodge was sent for, and
in reply TO inquiries OF the committee
read an exhaustive formal statement.
He said he welcomed the inquiry con-
ccrniug the truth of the statistics, for
lac assumed tie visit Of the committee
was solely III the interest OF accuracy
and the pubic welfare III crOp-repOrt-
ing. IA the outset he would say that
lhc whispered mslnuations OF influence
on the part OF the Commissioner OF
Agriculture from personal and venal
considerations IN shaping the estimates
was unjust aud cruel. The Commits
rlUNil Ndo I't Niii ih' away Ni'' WIN
ont any communication III tins case.
Int ho never attempted in the slightest
degree to modify crop-reporting results
iOraIY purpose. Mr.. Dodge sad he was
aumeucd in obc hence to popular
clllor and charged with making the
estimates in certain western states
smaller than had been made for years,
Mt NCt too large 10 suit the present
views Of the committee and It's clients.
lie Was charged with making such esti-
mates without "a scrap of information
ou the subject from any quarter.
he had overwhelming dN'a which
must he satisfactory to the com
mittcc for the disposal of such
charges. Really, the charge of
high estimate was on aitcrthought.
Virtually be was held responsible for
the effects of droughts of which he had
10 knowledge whatever until nearly Il
month after the original returns of
acreage were made. lie could furnish
authority for the estimate and could
show that the acreage was not the area
growing and to which the tobdcco-mcn
now refer. He had early learned that
the comparative acreage was never full
ly reported, and in tobacco, which Is
heavily taxed, the failure Is most con
smcuous For example, the cotton
acreage now assumed to be eighteen
million would have been scarcely ten if
the returns had been accepted without
revision. Between 1870 and 1889 the
extraordinary underestimate of to-
haCco attracted his attention and
became source of anxiety aud
al. annoyance. The census re-
suits of the consumption and distri-
button showed how much too low the
originals were. They required an al
dhtiun Of IS per cent. To the area and 30
per cent to the product. An example
ofths tendency, which would beappre-
ciated, was to be found in the fact that
the Auditor Of kentucky published
sworn returns of the assessors for 1879,
making an aggregate of 10j, so, 126
pounds as the product of the State.
The cnumcrators found III, l2O,1ol
pounds, and the commercial movement
verified the result. Ii therefore r.
Quirtd an addition OF % per cent.
To- the State returns t. make the census
aggregate If the State authorities
failed to make full returns by 55 per
cent and all previous returns had been
defective, on what authority was his
night denied to make any allowance in
revision such as proved to be neces-
sary
Mr.. Dodge then explained his me-
thod of reaching his conclusions, and |
said the estimates under discussion |
were made in accordance with the |
usual custom, which had proved relia.
he and which agreed substantially with !
all the State officials with one eXcep- |
ton. and with regard to that State less !
than two thirds Of the former tobacco !
c1ops had been officially reported. In |
deed. letter from the Auditor of Ken
lucky fairly acknowledged the proven
bial deficiency OF the state returns when
hc SAYS they are not gathered with
care, and are greatly under the truth.
The original corrected averages Of the
of last years acreage, rs
reported by correspondents, was not
quite 50 high rs reported by the de-
partmcut or 10y the state officials, but
il was nearly twice as much as the area
now claimed by the committee. To
the area growing some of the State re-
turns were 30 abnormally low as to
suggest the presence of panic to an
unusual degree, requiring allowances
such as every State and national au-
ihority in statistical collection had
found 10 be necessary.
Mr.. Dodge here referred 10 the re-
potts from correspondents in a great
many counties, showing greatly re-
iuced acreage 10y reason of drought.
The committee stoutly maintained
hat there was II confusion of acreage
With the product; that the acreage
meant simply and always the area ORR
finally devoted by the farmer to to-
jacco, aud that area could never, and
lnder no consideration, be subsequent
v reported as less in extent, whatever
night be the influence which prevailed
0 lessen the product.
Commissioner Colman, IN reply to
o this. read an editorial assertion from
be Louisville Home Gourmet to the ef-
sct that investigation showed a largely